


Too Long to Wait: Amid the Falling Snow

by claudia603



Series: Too Long to Wait [39]
Category: Lord of the Rings (2001 2002 2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic, Fluff, Interspecies, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-21
Updated: 2010-08-21
Packaged: 2017-10-11 04:51:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/claudia603/pseuds/claudia603
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Minas Tirith is coated in snow and ice. What better fun than ice-skating...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Too Long to Wait: Amid the Falling Snow

Snowflakes fluttered from the gray rolling clouds in lazy, skittering patterns. The White City had earned its name like never before. Fresh, drifting snow covered stone roads, the Tree in the Courtyard glittered with ice. Icicles hung from balustrades and arched windows.

"Frodo! Frodo!" Ellohir bounced on the bed. "Oh, wake up, wake up, wake up! The fairies have come and left their dust and wands all over the city!"

Aragorn chuckled and gathered Ellohir in his arms. He carried him to the window. "Oh, so it has. Now this is a rare day. Rarely does it snow this far south."

"Oh, can we go out in it? Can we play in it?"

Frodo joined the others by the window, and Aragorn put his arm around him. "It is beautiful." He looked up at Aragorn. "Far better here while we are safe inside than on Caradhras."

"What's Caradhras?" Ellohir asked.

"A big, frightening mountain that almost buried Frodo with snow," Aragorn said.

"And Aragorn, too, let's not forget," Frodo said. "But Aragorn and Boromir were very valiant and made a path of snow and carried us Little Folk out of the worst of it."

Aragorn nodded. "It was a burden that I carried gladly."

"Oh, look!" Frodo pointed to a pond that they could see in one of the courtyards. "It's frozen over. In the Shire whenever a pond fully froze over, which was pretty rare, we would put special shoes on with blades on the bottom and skate upon the ice."

"But hobbits don't wear shoes," Ellohir said.

"In this case, they did."

"Didn't you fall?" Ellohir looked so concerned that Frodo had to laugh.

"No, not once. Although Pippin and Merry fell. They never quite got the knack of it. I had perfect balance."

"I am quite certain that by afternoon, I could have some ice shoes made for all three of us," Aragorn said. "Come, let's send for the shoemaker!"

"Hooray!" Ellohir said, his blue eyes shining.

 

***

Frodo laughed, so giddy from the fresh air that made his cheeks and nose pink. He was out of practice. His legs wobbled dangerously on the pond. The ice shoes that the shoemaker had struggled most of the morning and afternoon to make fit exactly right, and the iron blades attached were plenty thick. He helped Ellohir onto the ice.

Aragorn struggled after them, wobbling in a far more extreme manner than Frodo.

"Are you sure you want to?" Frodo teased. "Gondor needs a King."

"You think that your balance is better than mine?" Aragorn's breaths came in gasps, and he flailed, struggling for balance. The battle was nearly lost and Frodo waited, breath held for him to fall with a mighty crash, but he kept to his feet.

"Perhaps not," Frodo said. "But I do have a much shorter distance to fall – and less of me to break, should I fall. Do be careful."

Ellohir was eager to glide over the ice and soon enough he was with Frodo guiding him. Ellohir squealed with delight. Both he and Frodo flailed a moment and nearly fell – but being closer to the ground was definitely advantageous for them in recapturing their balances.

In short order, Frodo regained his skating legs and glided around the pond with more daring speed. Aragorn wobbled across the ice and took Ellohir's hand, and Frodo took off on his own, lifting his face up to the flaking sky to catch snowflakes on his tongue.

With an ominous hiss, he heard Aragorn fall on his behind and spin. Ellohir somehow did not fall with him. He only giggled.

"Are you all right?" Frodo called, skating to him. Then he scolded, "Ellohir, you must not laugh. He could be hurt."

"He looks silly though," Ellohir said.

"I'm not hurt," Aragorn said, wincing, "and Ellohir's right about how foolish I look. Far too undignified a sport for a king."

Frodo smiled and offered him his hand, and Aragorn took it as he climbed back to his feet. Aragorn wiped the ice off his backside.

"Look at Ellohir!" Frodo said, suddenly noticing how Ellohir glided with great confidence across the pond.

Frodo thought that it was the perfect afternoon, full of laughter and snowflakes. At one point a ray of sun peeked through the gray, billowing clouds and it sent brilliant sparkles throughout the icy land --- and Frodo thought there could not be anything so beautiful – unless of course it was his darling family, laughing with such joy, rosy-cheeked and happy.


End file.
